CHICAGO — Illinois could ban assault weapons under a plan proposed Tuesday by Gov. Pat Quinn, but any gun control regulation would have to clear major hurdles even with a renewed nationwide debate.

The Chicago Democrat used his amendatory veto power to gut a bill related to ammunition sales and add language prohibiting the manufacture, delivery, sale and possession of semi-automatic assault weapons and attachments. Illinois lawmakers could accept or override the changes, or not call a vote at all.

The proposal – which specifically bans the AK-47, AR-15 and TEC-9 – was first reported by The Associated Press.

"It's very clear that these particular weapons are not designed to do anything but to have human targets," Quinn told reporters in Chicago.

The Colorado movie theater massacre has reignited debates about assault weapons and in recent days, a number of anti-violence advocates, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, have called for similar action in Chicago. Quinn recently signaled his support for a ban while noting the heroism shown by an Illinois man who was killed in the attack.

A handful of states have assault weapons bans, including New Jersey and Massachusetts. A federal ban expired in 2004 and attempts to revive it have been unsuccessful.

While Illinois is the only state without a concealed carry law, an assault weapons ban would face strong opposition from the gun lobby – that is, if it's called for a vote at all.

Quinn, who didn't work with the sponsor of the original bill, has had little success with amendatory vetoes. And other gun control measures have failed in the General Assembly and Cook County's assault weapons ban has undergone legal challenges. Earlier this year, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed lower-court rulings that found the ban constitutional, sending it back to trial court.

Quinn defended his tactic, saying the time for gun control is now. He cited the fatal shooting in Colorado and the 2008 shooting at Northern Illinois University that left five students dead. Quinn believes his latest plan was related to the original bill.

The bill's original sponsor, Republican state Sen. David Luechtefeld, called Quinn's plan politics as usual. Luechtefeld accused Quinn of using the Colorado shooting to make headlines.

"Politically, he wants to be shown as against assault weapons and it's totally political on his part," Luechtefeld said. "It's a way to get his name in the paper."

Luechtefeld's measure would have allowed Illinois residents to have ammunition purchased from in-state companies shipped to them. Currently, Illinois residents can only have ammunition shipped if it's bought out of state.

He added that he doesn't think his bill is controversial, and that Quinn's move kills it.

The governor has used amendatory vetoes more than a dozen times in the last year; amendments were approved twice.

In many cases, lawmakers didn't call a vote. House Speaker Mike Madigan has refused to do so in the past on the grounds that Quinn overstepped his constitutional authority. Also, the Illinois Supreme Court has said that an amendatory veto can't change the fundamental purpose of a bill.

Todd Vandermyde, an Illinois lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, said Quinn was going beyond his power as a governor. He criticized the bill as a publicity stunt and added that the proposal was too broad.

Still, gun-control advocates applauded the move.

"We have a national crisis on our hands. Chicago has a crisis on its hands," said Dan Gross, head of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "We have to do everything we can do to prevent tragedy from happening."

on March 30, 1981, President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, was shot in the head.

The Brady Handgun Violence Act of 1993, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, mandated that federally licensed dealers complete comprehensive background checks on individuals before selling them a gun. The legislation was named for James Brady, who was shot during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, instituted a ban on 19 kinds of assault weapons, including Uzis and AK-47s. The crime bill also banned the possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. (An exemption was made for weapons and magazines manufactured prior to the ban.)

In 2004, ten years after it first became law, Congress allowed a provision banning possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition to expire through a sunset provision. Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke told HuffPost that the expiration of this provision meant that Rep. Gabby Giffords's alleged shooter was able to fire off 20-plus shots without reloading (under the former law he would have had only ten).

In 2007 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled to allow Dick Heller, a licensed District police officer, to keep a handgun in his home in Washington, D.C. Following that ruling, the defendants petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.

Following the deadly shooting at Virginia Tech University, Congress passed legislation to require states provide data on mentally unsound individuals to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, with the aim of halting gun purchases by the mentally ill, and others prohibited from possessing firearms. The bill was signed into law by President George W. Bush in January of 2008.

In June of 2008, the United States Supreme Court upheld the verdict of a lower court ruling the D.C. handgun ban unconstitutional in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller.

Gun control advocates had high hopes that reform efforts would have increased momentum in the wake of two tragic events that rocked the nation.
In January of 2011, Jared Loughner opened fire at an event held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), killing six and injuring 13, including the congresswoman. Resulting attempts to push gun control legislation proved fruitless, with neither proposal even succeeding in gaining a single GOP co-sponsor.
More than a year after that shooting, Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was gunned down by George Zimmerman in an event that some believed would bring increased scrutiny on the nation's Stand Your Ground laws. While there has been increasing discussion over the nature of those statutes, lawmakers were quick to concede that they had little faith the event would effectively spur gun control legislation, thanks largely to the National Rifle Association's vast lobbying power.
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In July of 2012, a heavily armed gunman opened fire on theatergoers attending a midnight premiere of the final film of the latest Batman trilogy, killing 12 and wounding scores more.
The suspect, James Eagan Holmes, allegedly carried out the act with a number of handguns, as well as an AR-15 assault rifle with a 100-round drum magazine.
Some lawmakers used the incident, which took place in a state with some of the laxest gun control laws, to bring forth legislation designed to place increased regulations on access to such weapons, but many observers, citing previous experience, were hesitant to say that they would be able to overcome the power of the National Rifle Association and Washington gun lobby.

On August 5, 2012, white supremacist Wade Michael Page opened fire on a Sikhs gathered at a temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and wounding four more before turning the gun on himself.